Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

I have this huge obsession over a genre called chick-lit, otherwise known as girly romance books that are sweet and thoughtful. It started with Sarah Dessen, and I won't forget her writing. Ever. So that's why I just had to read Along for the Ride and fall in love with it for life. 5 out of 5 stars!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Published! Yay!
5 out of 5 stars
Summary from Goodreads: It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

Yup. Sarah Dessen strikes again, this time with two lonely people who need a friend. But anyways, that's besides the point. The point is that I absolutely love her writing style, the almost poetic whispers that really can change people. She writes with a passion that makes you want to flip through the book like crazy. It's soft writing that makes you think and sometimes want to cry. But most of the time it makes me want to smile. This is the writing Sarah Dessen does in this book. It's amazing.

Then there were all the unique elements woven together. You have a regular teen yet at the same time she's not regular. Weave in biking, Shakespeare, food fights and pie to get this story yet so much more. I love how Sarah Dessen makes each book so unique so each character, each element is different in a good way.

Auden. She seems like the girl you never notice, the girl who's just there. When you get to know her, she's totally different. That's what I absolutely loved about her. She was thoughtful, nice, caring and sweet. Not to mention a girl with a great sense of humor. Then there was the whole broken thing to her that made her vulnerable, which was a great change in the books I've been reading. But most of all, she's real. We all go through problems, and Sarah really let you know she was too.

There's something about Eli that I absolutely love. He's a broken biker, a shadow of what he once was, yet he still notices Auden. I like how he was kind of broken too. It really made him meaningful, and not just another YA fiction boy. He's different, and you never forget that. Then there's the whole thing with pie and all...
I absolutely love it! Give me more of him please! Please!

I also really love the other characters. From Auden's friends to Eli's, there's always something wacky about them. They're all so different, funky and amazing. You don't forget that. Somehow they teach Auden something about life, and you don't forget that either. The world could shatter and you won't forget that. They change you, in at least one way. It's so, so amazing...

There's not much else to say. Just that Sarah Dessen is a great teen writer, so you must read her books. They change you for good. And for the better. That's all you need to know...